An American writer between Paris and New York discovers different wines... on a shoestring. Stories, tastings, slices of life and glasses of wine.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

As the palate turns

It's the end of the year, but I'm not going to do a "best of" or "top #" post. I'm just not. In fact, I'm just going to slap up a picture I like of a wine that pulls no punches, and then ramble about other things.

The year 2009 is drawing to a close, and my wine life, it would be fair to say, went through an unbridled overhaul, over these twelve months. Many discoveries were made (or offered my way, or stumbled into); some previous favorites discarded in light of new twists to the tastebuds; and former dislikes rallied to and overcome, until these days, you can sometimes find me ordering a chenin blanc.

Clearly, that's one of the fun things about taking an interest in wine: watching your palate evolve. Favorite Cali Cabs of yesteryear (all right, I didn't get to go through that phase, but you can imagine some similarly dark back-story for me, if you'd like) give way to shimmery Muscadet or wiry Albariño.

There's a Comments section, below; I'd be interested to hear some tales of vinous discovery and change from my ever-vigilant readership. What have you unearthed? What do you suddenly shun?

And a free bottle of Puzelat "Brin de Chèvre" for anyone who can guess one wine I used to adore but now can't stomach.

Recently, I've had excitement over certain little-known wines around Lyons, some close, like the Coteaux du Lyonnais, or Côte Roannaise, some a bit further like Côtes d'Auvergne. That's now my new frontier, and that's not easy to get to this region...Don't tell me that you can't stomach anymore CRB Sauvignons ?

I've actually had a new-found like for certain Californian wines... previously didn't like any but now I like some Pinot Noirs. I still don't like 14.5% alcohol, but what can you do. I can always go back to drinking Riesling when I want to be lightweight.

I guess I was always a little surprised that you showed so little liking for Chablis, yet waxed positive over Sancerre. But it does not seem to difficult to imagine somebody having problems with this uncompromising wine (Sancerre), especially when young. But does it ever really rise to the requisite level of complexity if when aged???

My prediction/guess for 2010: Sharon will more fully discover (or continue to discover) various Rieslings (if those high Residual Sugar minefields can be negotiated), which is not to say these will replace Champagne...

Carl, it's about -7ºC out in Paris, but hell has not frozen over quite yet. Riesling!

TWG, no, no, no, still feeling the love for CRB SB #2. Well, I'll have to check back in with it. I saw a store the other day that had the 07 (which is good, because the 06 is a fat, hot mess, and that's all you could get around here when I got back a few months ago). As for your question - more than one what?

Jason, John - thanks for the suggestions. I would be interested, actually, in trying a good Saint-Pourçain producer, as that appellation too often gets short shrift.

VISUAL ANALYSIS: brilliant, intense straw yellow and as regards the effervescence the bubbles are fine, numerous and persistent

OLFACTORY ANALYSIS: at the beginning, it is possible to identify the citrus fruit and if you bring the glass at the nose, you will receive a good portion of the flavour of carbon dioxide. The rest of the olfactory bouquet is composed by sponge cake, hazelnut, peanuts, toasting scent, green banana, lemon leaf, whitethorn and lemon flower.

GUSTATIVE ANALYSIS: elegant, harmonic and balanced. It does not exist a substance or a sensation which prevails on the other; the final is lemon flavoured. The gustative persistence is about 4 seconds.

WINE-FOOD COMBINATION: aperitif with finger food

MY PERSONAL OPINION: a good champagne which exceeds a little bit in the sensation of carbon dioxide, due to the fact that the liqueur de tirage is full of sugar substances residue which confers more carbon dioxide odour and much more alcohol. The champagne arrives at the mouth with a velvet touch like a true blanc de blancs and therefore it is not so effervescent at the palate as the pinot noir was present in the grape blend.

Making reference to the champagne comparison, this champagne is better than a Pommery and G.H. Mumm, but quite far from a Egly-Ouriet and Philpponnat. It is a well-made product that i does not exceed, partly because the price is too high.